Author Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1877 edition. Excerpt:...in the Egyptian history of the Jews--around me. Strange that the influence of those adventurous men, whose nation, whose language, whose'memory has passed away, the great merchant princes of Tyre and Sidon, should still be visible in our western regions. At Acre we saw curious evidence of personal affection for one of the most brutal of tyrants Jezzar Pasha, known by the name of "the butcher had died He was a most horrible example of a modern despot, and would put out the eyes of one of his vassals, saying, "you did not see a plot laid against me." He would cut off the ears of another, exclaiming, " you did not hear the tales of the market-place, and report them to me." He cut out the tongues of others, and said, "you knew what was going on. What were your tongues given you for but to tell me what you heard." And yet to this monster's memory a shrine was raised, it was covered with flowers, and streams of fresh water flowed from it. In spite of the proverb, "Flatterers have friends, and tyrants have worshippers." We passed through Soor and Sayda, the ancient Tyre and Sidon, cities whose merchant princes filled the world with their fame, but the ports, once crowded by the largest ships, will scarcely admit a fisherman's boat. Columns of the old piers lay in the sand, the waters had invaded the coast, and silence reigned where the noisy traffickers filled the marts, and where the treasures of Ophir were bought in exchange for the luxuries which the industry of Syria could produce. Here we encountered a flight of locusts, which darkened the air with their multitudes, and devoured everything green on the face of the land. A few hours brought us to Beyrout, now the principal port in Syria, whence...